Dear ballet forum,I really want to dance pointe again but I am afraid that I have damaged my chances of ever going up on pointe again because I was put on pointe too soon after only a year of dancing when I was sixteen. I was also not trained properly when my teacher at that studio put me up on pointe. Does anyone know if I would be able to do pointe again or if I have ruined my body completely and will never do pointe. I told my new ballet teacher that I have now, that my goal is to do pointe but she doesn't know about what happened when I was sixteen. Should I tell her? She is a good teacher who is training me in the right way to do things but like I said she doesn't know about what happened when I was sixteen. Should I tell her? If I do, and she says that it is okay for me to do pointe once she feels that I am ready, what exercises should I do to work towards going up on pointe? Please help!

I notice this post is a couple months old but... Absolutely! I am a ballet teacher and though I do not know the details of your previous pointe experience doubt they have ruined your ability to dance. Your teacher can work with what damage you may have done, if not physically, regarding your technique. Minus a serious ankle injury that might inhibit a career in ballet you should be fine assuming you follow your teacher's proper syllabis and do the exercises. As for what those exercises are... there are so many. Those your teacher does during class, and those that can be found in a basic ballet book available at most book stores. They may seem boring or mundane at first but it is these simple exercises - from fondu at the bar to passe in place - done thoughtfully and with proper technique that will do wonders for your dance and create that muscle memory that makes proper technique natural.